


Is This What You Call Luck?

by crocmaeda



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: AJR references, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Angst, Anxiety Disorder, Character Death, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fate, Fluff, Football, Gender Dysphoria, Hanahaki Disease, High School, Hope's Peak Academy, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, K-pop References, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Narcolepsy, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Peer Pressure, Red String of Fate, Romantic Soulmates, School Dances, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Super Smash Bros. 4 (Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Game), Trans Male Character, Vore, Winter, anemia, kokichi has a soda fetish, kokichi vores a live fish, komaeda has a breakdown, main character hajime, main character kokichi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-10-24 20:55:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocmaeda/pseuds/crocmaeda
Summary: Hajime Hinata isn't a believer of fate, karma, destiny, or luck. He despises the entire idea, finding it preposterous that people would rely on such a thing.So what happens when he discovers that there's more to Nagito Komaeda than what meets the eye?Meanwhile, Kokichi realizes that he has fallen for Makoto. It really ticks him off, and only adds to his overbearing stress in his personal life. He's only bound to break, and the time is ticking. It's only a matter of seconds before his vulnerability becomes visible, and he can NOT let that happen.Soulmate AU, where there are multiple 'symptoms' that last for a few days, such as mind-reading, hanahaki, and more.(The plot will be heavily based around my own experience in high school, so expect heavy themes.)





	1. I'll Keep You Safe - Prologue

Fate wasn't a real thing, in Hinata's eyes.  
  
Fate was just a common myth, made to preserve faith in the hearts of young children. Fate was a concept made by the daydreamers and hopeless romantics, in the belief that they'll one day be whisked away into the arms of their true lover, as long as they release the reins of their lives and rely on 'destiny' to guide them. Fate was not realistic, and that was all there is to it.  
  
Hajime Hinata was more of a realist. Fate, karma, luck, and anything related, simply did not exist. They were all just imaginary factors that people normally incorporated into their lives. It bothered Hajime, that people could treat it so casually. Something like karma? It was just an inconvenience, that people only seem to notice when it actually occurs. Inconveniences happen all the time in daily life, but the only time they are impactful, is when they are being actively searched for. If someone commits a wrong act, of course they will feel paranoid that they'll get what they deserve. If something goes wrong, they immediately point the finger at none other than karma.  
  
As for luck? It was only a rare coincidence. Nothing could possibly increase or decrease someone's 'luck'. Rabbit's feet and charms were completely useless.  
  
With this mindset? Well, to put it simply, meeting Nagito Komaeda was possibly the worst nightmare that Hajime had ever encountered.  
  
Nagito was the one and only Super High School Level Lucky Student. 'Lucky' is the keyword. Nagito's talent? Luck. In Hajime's mind, it just didn't connect. Sure, Komaeda had gotten in based on pure chance. But that didn't make him lucky. That had always irked Hajime, ever since their sophomore year. Senior year was just around the corner, and Hajime had to spend another entire year with Nagito. Hajime found Nagito to be.. well, crazy. Nagito's head always seemed to be in the clouds (literally, since his hair looks like a bunch of jumbled clouds), and was the complete opposite of Hajime in terms of morality and mindset.  
  
Nagito was always going on sprees about his favorite subject (hope), and putting all of his faith and trust in others. Always being completely polite to anyone he came across, and oddly calm in stressful situations. Hajime would never admit it, but Komaeda's smile could ease any kind of stress that was on the verge of causing Hajime to collapse. Then at other times? Komaeda's smile triggered chills to rush down Hajime's spine, and make him feel like there was a threat hanging right over his head. It reminded him of the villains in movies that effortlessly kill someone, while maintaining a friendly smile.  
  
A realist like Hinata would never befriend someone so easygoing and foolish enough to rely on fate. For two years, Hajime would do everything in his power to block Nagito out of his life, to the best of his ability. Hajime always locked his door at night, and ignored any sort of word Nagito muttered to him. Nagito would still hover around him, but honestly, that boy could keep up a conversation with a wall if he wanted to. All he did was talk, and he didn't require for Hajime to engage within the conversation. It was just what Hajime wanted.. to prevent Komaeda's heart from reaching his. Hajime disliked Komaeda, and Komaeda knew this. It was a flawless plan... well, up until the least expected had happened.  
  
Hajime's heart was the one to reach Nagito's first.


	2. Try Hard To Concentrate

The first thing Hajime felt when he woke up, was a pressing weight crushing his ribcage. He sucked in a breath, but to no avail, since whatever was squeezing him so tightly had a very strong hold against his chest and midsection. To find out what exactly had happened, Hajime opened his eyes to inspect the problem, as to why he was feeling like he was being suffocated to death by a giant cobra.   
  
Clover colored irises were the first things he saw, with gentle white eyelashes fanning out over them. Then, wispy white hair that was spreading out over those eyes.  
  
"Good morning, Hinata-kun!" announced a familiar raspy voice.  
  
"Komaeda, I can't breathe! Get off!" Hajime urgently responded, rather than a proper greeting. His words sounded strangled, because apparently the weight on his chest was really just Komaeda, with his arms tightly bound around Hajime. Hajime was immediately jarred awake, attempting to shove Komaeda's bony frame off of him. For someone so skinny, Komaeda was surprisingly strong, and it completely caught Hajime off guard.   
  
Ah, yes. What a great way to start off senior year.  
  
Komaeda relented, removing his arms from around Hajime. Hajime gasped for air, and sprang upwards into a sitting position. He took a moment to properly catch his breath, and then he eyed Komaeda suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.   
  
"How the hell did you get in here?" Hajime demanded, glaring at Komaeda with the best serious expression he could muster. It wasn't that Hajime was totally mad. He just wanted to knock the hint into Komaeda's brain, that he didn't want him around. Especially breaking into his dorm room. Even if it had been Chiaki or Kazuichi in Komaeda's place, Hajime wouldn't be too fond of the situation.  
  
"Ah.. why don't we skip the small talk?" Hajime went to interrupt Komaeda's words, but Komaeda started to talk once again, overlapping Hajime's need to express his disbelief. "It's our first day of our last year of high school.. we should enjoy it, right?"  
  
Hajime felt several red flags spring up in his mind. Komaeda announcing that they should enjoy something, while they were both in his bed, was not a good sign at all. Hajime immediately scrambled towards the safety of the floor, and promptly exited the room, snatching his signature tie from his bedpost while he was at it.  
  
"Nope. Get out of my room, Komaeda," Hajime flatly ordered, directing his steps towards the kitchen. Upon entering, he was met with the aroma of toasted bagels, perched atop a plate on the counter. A glass of orange juice was placed diagonally from the food. Did Komaeda seriously break in to make him breakfast? What was the point of doing that?   
  
"Ahah.. I'll leave, as you wish.." Komaeda slunk towards the door, still oddly cheerful. It was quite typical of him not to feel downtrodden by such a request from Hajime. At this point, it would be quite out of the ordinary for Hajime to ask for Komaeda to stick around. Though, Komaeda was able to get away with it at times, when Hajime happened to be in a good mood.  
  
Hajime heaved a deep sigh, a twinge of guilt flickering in his conscience. Komaeda went out of his way to get him up this morning, and now Hajime was kicking him out.  
  
"Listen.. you can stay, just don't break in again. I'm not in favor of you being the first thing I see when I wake up." Hajime sat down at the counter, and lifted the bagel to his lips. Admittedly, he was a little hesitant, aware of just how badly Komaeda could cook. Hajime wondered how Komaeda got into Hope's Peak in the first place, with something that was quite the opposite of a talent. Even if Komaeda even attempted to microwave a frozen meal, it would always taste like it was made of latex. On special occasions, the fire department would have to come assist in extinguishing the fire when the microwave set ablaze.  
  
Hajime was greeted with a pleasant surprise. The bagel actually tasted like a bagel! The savory taste of butter seeped over Hajime's tongue, as well as the crisp edges of the bagel.   
  
Taking a moment to thoroughly appreciate the bagel, there was a pause before Hajime was able to talk again. Though, he had his suspicions.  
  
"..You didn't make this, did you?"  
  
Komaeda coolly met Hajime's gaze. "Would you be disappointed if I said that I did?"  
  
Dumbfounded, Hajime stared at the bagel that was delicately pinched between his index finger and thumb, as if it would prove Komaeda's words.   
  
"You're terrible at cooking. There's no way you made this."  
  
"Let's just say that I've learned to tame my luck, in one way or another," Komaeda vaguely replied. If Hajime knew any better, he'd assume that the look on Komaeda's face meant that he was pleased with himself.  
  
"Wow, I really didn't like the way you said that!" Hajime exclaimed in a sarcastic tone, now doubting that the butter on the bagel was actually butter.. maybe it was some form of toxic chemicals that Komaeda happened to come across. Or it could possibly be the remains of a motorcycle gang leader. The possibilities were endless.  
  
"You worry too much, Hinata-kun!" Komaeda chuckled lightheartedly. Little did Hajime know that there was a real reason to worry. Even Komaeda didn't know where that bagel had been. The process of making it? He dropped it off his balcony, intending to make it fall into the gutter water on the road below in hopes that his luck would intervene. It bounced onto the balcony below his, and rolled into the person's dorm room. Five minutes later, Komaeda found it on the counter in the kitchen in the commons area, toasted and ready. Instead of himself, he figured that Hajime deserved it more than he did. Why should he keep his luck to himself? Hajime didn't need to learn the story of how he 'made it'. Instead, he should just enjoy it!  
  
Suspicion still underlying his brows, Hajime slowly chewed a portion of his bagel. Best not to question it.   
  
"Fine, I'll eat it. But if I end up dying from food poisoning, then I'm counting on you to pay for my coffin," Hajime bitterly joked.   
  
Komaeda gave a breathy chuckle. "I could never kill someone like you... that would be outrageous.. Hinata-kun dying all because of my luck.. now wouldn't that be unfortunate?"  
  
Hajime snorted, as if Komaeda had told a joke. Komaeda going on and on about his luck like this.. it was distasteful. Hajime had been adamant at telling Komaeda that he didn't believe in his supposed "luck". Going as far as to telling Komaeda that his luck wasn't a talent at all. Yet, Komaeda still insisted that he did have some sort of lucky curse. Though, he still respected Hajime's mentality. Hajime's attempts to drive Komaeda away never worked, and it was becoming tedious and pointless.  
  
"I'm gonna go get changed. Don't come into my room." Hajime pinned the bagel between his teeth and disappeared into the other room.   
  
"I wouldn't dream of it!" Komaeda chirped, and patiently waited for Hajime's return. Now that Komaeda was left alone with his words hanging in the air, he reviewed them in his mind. Okay, maybe he had told a lie. Though he still restrained himself from entering Hajime's room.   
  
Soon, Hajime was dragging Komaeda outside of the dorm room and towards the school. Hajime was wearing khakis, his beloved tie, a simple white polo, and a suit jacket to top it off. His style certainly hadn't changed much throughout the years, though he still had that 'formal' theme going. Classic.  
  
Even if Hajime didn't associate with Komaeda, the teen still hung around him at school and in between classes, much to Hinata's dismay. After so many months of dealing with Komaeda's tendencies, he just learned not to protest against him. It was a waste of his time.   
  
Hajime released his tight hold on Komaeda's hoodie, who had been happily obliging to being pulled outside. Komaeda's eyes were fixated on the ground as he tried to match his pace with Hajime's, making sure that their feet were perfectly timed once they came into contact with the sidewalk.   
  
Just as Hajime was about to comment on this, an uneven cluster of students hustled past them, being led by the one person befitting of the title 'Ultimate Supreme Leader'. Kokichi Ouma was quite easy to spot, since he was usually the one to take charge of any situation that he was placed in. Even if that meant he was all alone. It was odd to see such a small person able to create such a ginormous wave of chaos wherever he walked.   
  
Behind Ouma, who was lazily crossing his arms behind his head, was the rest of his group of friends. Shuichi Saihara was one of them, the 'Ultimate Detective'. It took years and years before he finally gave into Ouma's pestering (albeit reluctantly), with the threat that Ouma would suck his life force out of his body if he didn't become part of his secret organization. Somehow, Shuichi became his second in command. No one could tell if it was a friendly title Ouma gave Shuichi, or if it was a role that Shuichi seriously took on. No one could picture Shuichi being second-in-charge of an organization, let alone an evil one.   
  
Shuichi and Hajime were actually good friends, which was the entire reason why Hajime had been forcefully dragged into this friend group. It was just like being dragged into a crazy rave at a party when it was unwanted, but now Hajime was stuck in this mess and there was no backing out of it.  
  
Next up was Kirumi Tojo, the 'Ultimate Maid'. Since Ouma didn't have a mother figure in his life, of course his needy rat hands latched onto Kirumi for that kind of attention. Kirumi recognized that there was a deeper meaning towards Kokichi's particularly childish nature, which was how she ultimately became the mother of the group. She was very nurturing towards everyone and exceedingly mature for her age. She also made very delicious onigiri.   
  
Followed up was Yasuhiro Hagakure, the 'Ultimate Fortune Teller'. Ouma immediately forced him to join his band upon figuring out that he was a human fortune cookie.. without the cookie, of course. Together, Ouma and Hagakure were an unstoppable force when it came to their combined stupidity. They were basically the comedians of the group, which made it all the more entertaining because of their height difference. Of course, only Shuichi and Kirumi actually stuck around to listen to their conversations. They both had a very high tolerance level.   
  
Sayaka Maizono, the 'Ultimate Idol'. She was obsessed with K-pop. Obsessed is an outstanding underestimation. She managed to bring everybody in the group down to her hellhole of BTS and TWICE, all except Kokichi. Kokichi does not succumb to peer pressure, and Hajime was grateful that he hadn't stooped to anyone else's level either. She was an impressive dancer and singer, and taught the others how to dance and speak Korean.  
  
Of course, who could forget Angie Yonaga. 'Ultimate Artist'. Hajime didn't know her all that well, but they went to the same middle school together, so he wasn't unfamiliar. She read Hajime's aura once. 'Blue and wavy', whatever that means. She was a very peppy person and got along with anyone who cared to converse with her.  
  
Then, there was Maki Harukawa, Himiko Yumeno, and Sonia Nevermind. Here is a brief recap of all three, since they aren't the most relevant of the group. Maki hated Ouma, and Ouma was very well aware. Yet, it was sort of an unspoken agreement between them, that they'd set that rivalry to the side. Next was Himiko. While she was cute, she was younger than Ouma. Not to mention that she was a little taller than him, which was an impressive accomplishment considering how small Ouma was. Ouma stood at a whopping four feet and ten and a half inches. 149 centimeters, if you will. While Himiko was taller, she ultimately gave the impression of a 7th grader. Last but not least was Sonia Nevermind, a member of Hajime's class herself.  
  
Sonia and Hajime actually were very compatible years ago. They had the same sense of humor, and enjoyed the same music taste. They were split apart due to the 'Event', which Hajime steered clear from speaking about.   
  
The Event was what gave Hajime access to Hope's Peak Academy in the first place, and it was what you'd call a failed experiment. Hajime had one condition for Nagito, only one. One request that he was pleading for him to follow, since he never bothered to listen to any of Hajime's other requests.  
  
Never, ever, ever bring up the 'Kamukura Project' under any circumstances.  
  
"Hinata-chan! We're walking to school too, what a coincidence!" Kokichi had a smug little smile displayed on his face. "You can tag along with us if you want to. I mean, where else would you go? You wouldn't want to be lonely, would you?"  
  
Hajime's instincts were telling him to decline, but he glanced over to see that Komaeda's eyes were glimmering. Komaeda looked more than happy to accept the offer.  
  
"You wouldn't want someone like me around.. are you sure?"  
  
Kokichi stopped, and his violet eyes rolled as he emitted a dramatic scoff. "I was talking to Hinata-chan, you ignorant slut. Pretend you never heard anything." He waved his hand dismissively.   
  
Nagito laughed lightly, as if he hadn't been insulted directly. His eyes shut, and he looked quite relaxed. Hajime couldn't sense a trace of unease in Komaeda's tone or posture.

"I see.. you're right.. an ignorant slut like me doesn't deserve to hang out with you guys.."  
  
Ah, that's why Nagito wasn't displeased. Komaeda was probably getting off on this.   
  
Kokichi snorted, and with the distasteful yet playful look in his eyes, Hajime could tell that he was thinking the exact same thing. Surprisingly, he didn't call Komaeda out on his behavior.   
  
"Whatever. I was lying, you twat. You can join us, I don't care." Kokichi crossed his arms back behind his head. His purple hair was misplaced in the process, his scruffy locks bunching upwards like a fan.   
  
"Well.. I'd love to join, but it's really up to Hinata-kun.." Komaeda's hopeful gaze was placed onto Hajime yet again as he awaited an answer. Hajime was grateful that Komaeda hadn't dragged him into the group without permission, but at the same time, he felt like it was wrong for Komaeda to rely on him when it all came down to decision-making. It felt like he was too co-dependent.  
  
Did Komaeda's happiness exclusively only feed from Hajime? Was Komaeda truly as happy as he appeared to be?  
  
Hajime's thought process was singed through like a video tape as soon as he realized that Komaeda was still awaiting a response. Komaeda seemed so happy to join the group, and Hajime didn't see the harm in additional company. It wouldn't be the end of the world to hang out with Kokichi.  
  
"Sure. I don't see why not." Gripping onto the strap of his backpack, he continued to stroll down the sidewalk, now being flanked with Komaeda and Kokichi. He had certainly spoken too soon. This was probably the worst situation he could possibly get himself into. Kokichi and Komaeda weren't the most favorable combo.  
  
"So, Hinata-chan, what have you and Komaeda-chan been up to over the break? Did you have lots of orgies centered around LSD use?" Kokichi smirked, exposing his sharp little fanged teeth.  
  
"...It worries me, that you asked me something so specific. No, we didn't do anything like that at all." Hajime was used to outlandish questions purely because of the topics Komaeda liked to discuss. Kokichi had NOTHING on Komaeda.  
  
"Hmm, that's boring. I thought you'd actually have fun stories to tell us. And to think you wasted so much time with Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky over here," Kokichi teased, jerking his head towards Komaeda.  
  
It was true that Hajime spent his winter pent up in his room in the hopes of driving Komaeda away. However, Komaeda was too loyal for Hajime to possibly comprehend. Komaeda camped out on Hajime's doormat all night, and only left his post when he brought food for Hajime. Hajime might be more grumpy than the average person, but he just couldn't bring himself to ignore Komaeda when he was doing so much for him. It was too cruel to leave him out in the cold. So, finally, he invited him inside with the condition that he left him alone.

  
"Any time with me is a waste of time! You're right, Ouma-kun, ahahah," Komaeda replied. That irked Kokichi a bit, because he felt that Komaeda was way too accepting of his insults. Komaeda was taking it like praise, and it felt too suspicious. Hajime knew the cycle all too well. Insult Komaeda, and he agreed and embraced it. Praise him, and he modestly rejected it until Hajime gave up on insisting.  
  
"Guess what I did over the break!"

  
Kokichi dismissed Komaeda's self-degrading comment by averting the subject entirely.  
  
"What did you do, Kokichi?" Hajime was happy to go right along with Kokichi's sprouting conversation, but his plan was thwarted. Kokichi was just telling another joke.  
  
"It's a secret." Kokichi deadpanned, facing away from Hajime.   
  
"Then what the hell was the point of asking us to guess?"  
  
Hajime was only half-listening as the rest of the group discussed their whereabouts over the winter break. Most of them were in the same boat, hardly doing anything of interest. Some celebrated Christmas with their families, and then others camped out on their couches and basically hibernated.  
  
What Hajime was more interested in were the damp trees that were neatly lined up in a row beside the sidewalk. Normally, cherry blossoms would be springing from the tips of the branches. It was quite pleasant to look at. The petals would gracefully flow from the trees onto the ground, appearing like nature's confetti.   
  
Right now, the trees were quite boring to look at. The trees were dried and their splintered branches jabbed at the air. Upon closer view, small buds were jutting from their previous hiding places. It wasn't the end of winter yet, but spring was just about to pounce into its place.  
  
The snowy terrain spread out underneath their feet, and light puffs of steam spewed from Hajime's lips as he breathed. It was going to be a long trek, and it was freezing! Who decided it was a good idea to walk to school?   
  
Oh, he did, that's right.  
  
"What's wrong, Hinata-chan? Afraid of a bit of snow?" A raspy voice bellowed from below. Looking down, it was obviously Kokichi.   
  
"No! It's just cold. I'm only wearing a suit jacket," Hajime pointed out.  
  
"You can borrow my jacket if you want," Komaeda offered, already in the process of taking off his green parka.   
  
"No! No, keep that on, you need it. The school is close, just- keep your clothes on!" Hajime practically pleaded with Komaeda, trying to slide the jacket sleeves back onto Komaeda's pale arms.  
  
The both of them knew just how sick Komaeda was. Even if exposed to a hint of sunlight, Komaeda would get burned. He had to live out his life as if he was a vampire. The reason he wore his lengthy coat was to cover as much of his body as possible, and because of just how damn cold he was all the time. Touching Komaeda's hand was similar to dunking your hand into the Antarctic Ocean. The risk of having Nagito take his jacket off in this cold weather was too much.

Hajime was already worrying that Komaeda would catch a cold.  
  
Worrying? Why worry? Hajime didn't care about Nagito.. In fact, life would be so much better without him hanging around him like a pathetic dog.

Reluctantly, Komaeda put his coat back on. The group clamored into the school, greeted by teachers and other students as they treaded down the hallway.   
  
Hope's Peak Academy looked the same as always. The school was a maze of hallways with colored beams of light protruding onto the walls and floors, creating an illusion that they were at a disco rather than a school. Checkered patterns swiped the floors, and grand doors guarded the end of he hallways. Floors upon floors racked the building. Hajime and Nagito shared the same homeroom, so they had to depart with the others.  
  
Kokichi was too busy conversing with Hagakure about flammable shaving cream to notice that two people had fallen away from the group. If they all wound up in a survival show, he'd do a fantastic job at keeping everyone alive and healthy, wouldn't he?   
  
The one who noticed that Hajime had snuck away was Kirumi. Her gray hair curved around her face, and her silky dress elegantly splayed out around her waist as she turned to look at them.   
  
"Are you going so soon?"  
  
Hajime would be lying if he said that he wasn't entranced by Kirumi's appearance, and her soft tone that laced her words when she spoke. Over the years, she had grown her hair out, which was reminiscent of threads of spider webs spilling down her shoulders.  
  
"A-Ah, um.. well, yeah.. Nagito and I have to get to class. Can't skip first period on the first day of school," Hajime explained rather quickly. "Bye!" He hardly even glanced at her as he disappeared around the corner.   
  
"He gets sort of nervous sometimes. Don't worry, Tojo-san," Nagito apologized on Hajime's behalf. He, too, disappeared around the corner, but less like he was ascending past the speed of light like Hajime had done.  
  
"What was that about, Hinata-kun?" Nagito asked as soon as he caught up to Hajime, who was scowling at the floor like it had attempted to wrestle him and swallow him up. One trait about Hajime was that his hair tended to spike and flare out when he was angry, just like a porcupine. Now was one of those times. His fists were strangling his backpack straps like they were a heinous criminal that wouldn't give him answers.  
  
"Nothing," Hajime grumbled. "Seriously, don't even bring it up."  
  
"Ah.. are you upset that you were so nervous in front of Tojo-san?" Nagito casually asked.   
  
"Shut up. What did I say about not bringing it up?" Hajime retorted, focusing on aligning his footsteps with the tile underneath, subconsciously avoiding the cracks and lines and intersected the floor.   
  
"Right. My bad." Nagito entered the classroom, and spotted Chiaki slumped over a desk in the back of the room. The strawberry blonde didn't bother to make eye contact with Nagito and Hajime, since she was too focused on jamming the buttons of her game console with her lithe thumbs.

Over the years, Chiaki had longer hair that was now flowing with curls. She now had to wear thick glasses because her love and devotion to video games resulted in frying her vision. Being attached to TV screens and PC games 24/7 was bound to affect her negatively, but the girl perservered.  
  
"Hey, Chiaki!" Nagito called, sliding into the seat beside her. Still, Chiaki hardly regarded the greeting, rapid clicking from her fingers against the console being the only sign that she wasn't in a coma.  
  
The trio had grown close ever since their sophomore year, and they often hung out together after school. The third wheel of the group actually cycled. Sometimes, Chiaki was left out. Not that Hajime wanted it to be that way. It was Nagito's fault that he followed him around. Other times, it was Nagito. Hell, there were even times where Hajime was the one pushed out of the loop. None of them felt envious towards each other, except the one time where Chiaki and Hajime tried dating.  
  
Once upon a time, the two did like each other. It was their approach that ruined those chances, a probability that might only happen if Nagito's luck was thrown into the mix. Many people thought that Chiaki and Hajime would surely hit it off. Honestly, Hajime preferred her as a friend. That way, he knew that he'd never lose her to something as simple as a petty breakup.  
  
Finally, Chiaki's sleepy eyes reared up from her console and settled on Nagito, then Hajime. The poor girl was anemic, as they had come to find out when they were in their junior year. It made sense. She was constantly fatigued, despite getting a healthy amount of rest. It took her some time to process that they were there, which excused her from the conversation with a small pause, before she piped up with an answer.  
  
"Hey.." A yawn intercepted her words. "..I think class might start soon.. everyone else is pretty fired up about school starting."  
  
"Yeah, no kidding," Hajime mumbled, eyeing Akane as she was flung across the classroom. She skidded across the floor, then managed to slow to a halt by grinding her heels into the tile, before leaping back to tackle Nekomaru once again. The girl had grown quite strong in the past few years. Her muscles strained against her shirt sleeves, and she usually carried around some chicken legs in her pockets for a snack during classtime. Hajime wasn't fond of that idea, but who was he to judge? Many people poked fun at him for liking kusamochi. They treated him like he enjoyed eating grass right from the ground, which wasn't true at all.   
  
Hajime sat down at the desk next to Chiaki that wasn't occupied.   
  
"So how's your Smash tournament going?" Hajime motioned to the Nintendo Switch perched at the end of Chiaki's desk. Chiaki's avatar, Isabelle, was beating the shit out of poor Kirby. At a closer glance, Hajime found that Nagito was the second player. He looked relaxed and at ease, calmly accepting his fate as Chiaki punted him off of the screen.  
  
"Good game, Chiaki," Nagito said, passing the remote back to her. "You never fail to express your talent to its fullest ability! You'll truly inspire hope in so many others! You're so remarkable.."  
  
"Thank you, Nagito. I know it was a fast game.. I tried to go easy on you." Chiaki's brows furrowed in apology.   
  
"No worries. I wanted you to be tough! It wouldn't be any fun if you let me win out of pity." Nagito laughed quietly.   
  
"You're just bad at video games, we all know this," Hajime pointed out.   
  
Chiaki put the console back into her bag. The offer to play a round against Hajime wasn't even muttered, but Hajime knew that the words were hanging in Chiaki's mind. It made Hajime feel a twinge of guilt deep in his heart.   
  
Chiaki and Hajime never played video games anymore, because of the 'Event'. It wasn't that they didn't have fun, but Hajime could see the crestfallen look in her eyes when he always defeated her without fail. It wasn't fun anymore when he constantly won, over and over again. There was no competition. Eventually, Hajime just got bored and sick of it. It was impossible for him to fail.   
  
The clicking of heels entered the room, and the usual noise simmered down as seventeen pairs of eyes glanced to the front chalkboard. Miss Yukizome's hair flowed around her, a white bow fixated at the back of her head. Miss Yukizome had tamed every student to the point of knowing not to talk when she was speaking. Unlike a normal classroom, they all actually obeyed her direction.   
  
"It's so good to be back!" she exclaimed, politely setting her things on the front desk. So tell me about what you've all done over the break, hm? We can set some class time aside, I'm sure it won't be an issue."  
  
Kazuichi was first to speak up. 

"Fuyuhiko and I went sledding the other day! I built in some speed adaptors to make it really fast and more durable!"  
  
Fuyuhiko glared at him from across the room. "Dumbass, you put jets on them. That went about as well as you'd expect it to be. The snow screwed with them and they basically blew up."  
  
Kazuichi jutted his elbow into Fuyuhiko's ribcage. "Shut the fuck up, Miss Sonia is listening," he hissed.  
  
Sonia, of course, wasn't listening. At the moment, she had one of Gundham's hamsters poised on her desk while she lazily ran a glittery comb through its short fur. Kazuichi devoted his entire life to coaxing her attention, and would do absolutely anything she asked of him. If she asked him to eat a full jar of mayonnaise with a fork, he would do it in a heartbeat without uttering a question.  
  
Releasing a deep sigh, Hajime rested his head against his desk. Needless to say, it was going to be a long day, and Hajime had a lot of mental preparation to do.  
  



End file.
